Aircraft



Sept. 24, 1935. J. s. MAXWELL 2,015,150

AIRCRAFT Filed July 25, 1932 '7 Sheets$heet l Zinnentor Otto meg Sept.24, 1935. J. s.- MAXWELL AIRCRAFT v Filed July 25, 1932 7 Sheets-Sheet 2attorney Sept. 24, 1935. J. s. MAXWELL AIRCRAFT Filed July 25, 1932 7Sheets-Sheet 3 Zhwentor 1.70/90, 6 .fiYAXM/A'ZL (I ttorneg Sept 24,1935. .1, s. MAXWELL AIRCRAFT Filed July' 25, .1952

'7 Sheets-Sheet 4 3nngntor EH/v5. MXWEAL attorney Q Sept. 24, 1935. J;s. MAXWELL AIRCRAFT Filed July 25, 932

7 Sheets-Sheet 5 I 3noe nt or I I JOHN 72 Han /44.

Gttorneg Sept. 24, 1935 J. s. MAXWELL AIRCRAFT Filed July 25, 1932 '7Sheets-Sheet. 7

r O t n e n n 3 Paten ed Se t. 24, 1935 UNITED STATES PATENT: OFFICE.

My invention relates to aircraft, and the obiects of my invention are:

First, to provide an aircraft of this class'which requires only aminimum amount of space for landing or taking off, there being providedmeans of maintaining a flow of air over the wings and control surfacesregardless of the forward movement of the aircraft;

Second, to provide an aircraft of this class in which the main wings aretiltable for increasing the lift thereof or .for braking purposes whenlanding;

Third, to provide an aircraft of this class which incorporates a novellanding structure which readily folds into the lower wings but which maybe extended a considerable distance downwardly from the aircraft so asto act as a feeler as well as a landing gear for aiding in obtaining aneasy landing;

Fourth, to provide an aircraft of this class inwhich movement of thelanding gear as the weight of the aircraft is imposed thereonautomatically shifts the tilting wing of the aircraft into its brakingposition so as to retard forward movement of the aircraft;

Fifth, to provide an aircraft of this class in which the landing gearthough particularly adapted for operation upon ground may be effectivelyoperated for landing the aircraft upon water, the operation of thelanding gear being identical in either case;

Sixth, to provide an aircraft of this class which incorporates a' novelautomatic control means arranged to maintain lateral as well aslongitudinal stability;

Seventh, to provide an aircraft'of this class in which feeler meansprojecting forwardly of the sustaining or control surfaces respond tovarying conditions so as to set the control surfaces accordingly by thetime the control surfaces of theaircraft encounter the conditions whichinfluence the feeler vanes;'

Eighth, to provide an aircraft of this class which automatically bankswhen the. rudder is turned, and

Ninth; to provide on the whole a novelly constructed aircraft which isdurable, efficient in itsaction, and which will notreadily deteriorateor get out of order. 2

With these and other objects in view as will appear hereinafter, myinvention consists of certain novel features ofcohstruction, combinationand arrangement of parts and portions as willbe hereinafter described indetail and particularly set forth in the appended claims, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawings and to the characters ofreference thereon which form a part of this application, in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view of my novel aircraft, showing themain wings andxp fopellers' 5 in the positions assumed when landing andwhen in flight; Fig. .2 isa front elevational view thereof showing oneside of the aircraft as it appears when in flight and the other sidethereof as it appears when landing, parts and portions being 10 brokenaway and in section to facilitate the illustration; Fig. .3 is afragmentary sectional view through 3-3 of Fig. 1 showing the arrangementof the feeler varies with respect to the wing; Fig.

4 is a sectional view thereof through 4-i of Fig. 15 3 with parts andportions shown in elevation; Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectionalview thro h 5-5 of Fig. 2 with parts and portions shown in elevation;Fig. 6 is a fragmentary sectional view through 6-6 of Fig. 5 with parts20 and portions shown in elevation; Fig. 7 is a sectional view throughll of Fig. 6; Fig. 8 is a longitudinal sectional view' of the fuselageof my aircraft taken substantially through 88 of Fig. 2 with parts andportions shown in eleva- 25 tion; Fig. 9 is an enlarged fragmentarysectional view of the leading edge of the wing at its cen-' tral portionshowing a part of its tilting mechanism in its various shiftedpositions; Fig. 10 is a similar sectional view taken substantially atthe 30 axis of one of the propeller shafts, also showing the severalpositions assumed when the wing is tilted; Fig. 11 isa fragmentary planview of the .control mechanism taken through ll-H of Fig.

8; Fig. 12 isa fragmentary sectional view thereof 35 through i2--l2 ofFig. 11 Fig. 13 is another fragmentary sectional view thereof throughI3-l3 of Fig. 11; Fig. 14 is a transverse sectional view thereof throughM-M of Fig. 11; Fig. 15 is a fragmentary sectional view through 40 l5'l5 of Fig. 11; Fig. 16 isa sectional view thereof through |6-l6 of Fig.8; Fig. 17 is a composite substantially diagrammatical view of thelanding gear and its operating mechanism illustrating their manner ofoperation; Fig. 18 '45 is a fragmentary sectional view through .I8-l8 ofFig. 8 showing the manual control mechanism,

and Fig. 19 is a wiring diagram of the electrically operated portions ofthe control mechanism.

Similar characters of reference refer to similar 50 parts and portionsthroughout the several views of the drawings. L

Fuselage l air rudder. L'water rudder 3, taxying wheel], stabilizers 5,elevators 6, jack means l, elevator operating cable 8, propeller 9, de-/.flecting or guiding vanes I8, lower ,I I,- upa IIb which extenduninterrupted through. the

per wing l2,struts I3, main drive shaft I4, gear housing I5, connectingshafts I6, gear means l1, engines I8, gear elements I8, propeller shafts5 28, propeller shaft housings 2|, propellers 2|A,

guide or deflecting vanes 22, cog wheel shaft 23, bracket'bearings 24,cog wheels 25 and 26,-rack members 21 and 28, cables 28,'cable drums 38,operating shaft 3|, frame elements 32, pinion gears 33, segmental gears34, connecting rods, 35, brackets 36, landing gear shaft 31, braces 38,landing members 38, main landing .wheels 48, auxiliary landing wheels4|, gear'segment 42, cable 43, cable drum 44, yieldable cord 45, an-

spring 58, gear reduction unit 5|, shaft 52, con-' \trol means 53,counter shaft 54, control rod 55, gear reduction unit 56, shaft 51,control mechanism 58, control rod 58, driven shaft 68, pinion gear 6|,pin 62, lever-63, catch member 64, catch lever 65, leaf spring 66,roller 61, arm 68, sole- I noid 68, arms 18, shafts 1|, feeler vanes 12,segmental pulleys -13, cables 14, pulleys 15, contact levers 16 and 11,bracket 18, rheostats 18, 88, 8| and 82, supporting arms 83 and 84,spring 85, link members 86 and 81, pendulum 88, solenoids 88, 88, 8| and82, armatures 83 and 84, gear levers 85 and 86, shafts 81 and 88,differential gear 88, pulley wheel I88, source of electrical energy I8I,hand wheels I82, shafts I83, pulley wheels I84, rudder control cablesI85, levers I86, rheostats I81, I88, I88 and H8, springs III and H2,arms 3, link bars 4', bell cranks 5, link members II6, bell cranks II1,connecting bars 8, and ailerons II8, constitute the principal parts andportions of 'my novel aircraft.

A fuselage I forms the body of my aircraft. Its lower side is flatexcept for the forward portion which turns. upwardly. The lower portionof 4o the fuselage is preferably made watertight so as to facilitatelanding on the water. The fuselage is provided at its rearward extremitywith an air rudder 2. The lower end of the air rudder 2 pivotallysupports a water rudder 3 which caps the lower end of the air rudder andis provided with a small taxying wheel 4.

The rearward extremity of the fuselage is also provided with astabilizer 5 terminating in elevators 6. The stabilizer 5 is adapted tobe adjusted by a jack means 1, while control cables 8 operating througha link member'8a operate. the elevators 6.

A short distance forwardly of the stabilizer 5 the fuselage I isprovided with. a vertically disposed aperture Ia therethrough in whichis mounted a propeller 8 adapted to direct-an air stream over and aroundthe stabilizers, elevators and rudders. bilizers 5 is a series ofdeflecting vanes I8 sup- Na. The deflecting vanes I8 are similar to thedeflecting vanes used in conjunction .with the driving propellers to bedescribed hereinafter. The purpose of I the deflecting vanes I8 is tostraighten out or remove the torque from the propeller slip stream sothat the slip stream can be more effectively applied to the controlsurfaces.

.The forward portion of the fuselage is supported by a lower wing I andanupper wing I2. The lower wing II is made as sturdy as possible and isdisposed with its lower side flush with the under side of the fuselage.The lower wing II is braced by longitudinally extending spars I la andchor 46, dog clutch 41, lever 48, frame means 48,

Between the propeller 8 and staported at their extremities in an annularrim fuselage. The upper wing I2 is likewise provided with spars,designated Ho and I212.

The upper wing I2 is rotatably supported with respect to the-fuselageand is supported from the 5 lower wing II by means of struts I3 whichform housings for the tilting mechanism of the upper wing I2. The upperwing is 'rotatable upon a shaft I4 which forms the main drive shaft forthe driving propellers of theaircraft.

The main drive shaft I4 extends from each portion of the upper wing intothe fuselage I and into a suitable gear casing I5, which in turn isconnected through connecting shafts I6 and gear means H to engines I8mounted within the fuselage. I

Above each strut I3 the main drive shaft I4 is connected througha gearelement I8 to a propeller shaft 28. Each propeller shaft 28 is mountedwithin a housing 2| which extends forwardly from thegear elements I8past the leading edge of the upper wing |2. The forward edge of eachpropeller shaft 28 supports a propeller 2|A. The gear elements I8 andpropeller shaft housings 2| are mounted within pockets or recesses |2cprovided at the under side of the wing In the structure shown twopropellers are provided for each extended portion of the upper wing I2.The housings 2I for each pair of propeller shafts support a plurality ofguide or defleeting vanes 22 which'are tied together at theirextremities and intermediate their ends by webs 22a. The guide vanes 22are arranged to remove or straighten out the torque normally occurringin propeller slip streams, thus providing a smooth unturbulated flowover the upper wing I2.

The propellers and guide vanes are adapted to remain flxed during theinitial tilting movement of the wing I2 until said wing reaches a 40predetermined tilted position, whereupon the propellers and guide vanesshift with the wing. This movement is accomplished as follows: A shaft-23 extends along the wing l2 forwardly of the front spar I2a and issupported therefrom by means of bracket bearings 24. Within the fuselagethe shaft 23 is provided with a cog wheel 25, and over each propellershaft housing the shaft 23 is provided with cog wheels 26. Within thefuselage there is provided an upwardly directed arcuate rack member 21which is secured at its lower end to a frame member ID forming a part ofthe fuselage I. The lower portion of the rack 21 is provided with teeth21a, while the upper portion continuing therefrom is smooth faced, asindicated at 21b. The upper extremity of the rack terminates in a stop210. The teeth of the cog wheel 25 are interrupted by a lug memberorportion 2511 which is provided with a flat surface adapted to rideupon the smooth surface 21b of the rack. The lug 25a is so positionedthat when the cog wheel has rotated upwardly to the extremity of therack teeth, said lug engages the smooth portion 21b, whereupon the cogwheel 25 is held against rotation 'ported by a frame element 32.

2,015,150 iy therefrom. The lower portion of the rack 28 is providedwith teeth 28a which coact with those of the cog wheel 26. Each rack 28is provided with a suitable stop 28b at its upper extremity which coactswith a lug 26a formed on the corresponding cog wheel 28 and interruptingthe teeth thereof. The racks 28 are somewhat less in extent than therack 21. In fact the relative lengths are such that when the cog wheels26 reach the extremity of their movement the cog wheel 25 has reachedthe extremity of its rotary movement and from then on slides on therack. The adjustment of the propeller shaft'housing and the propellerand guide vanes carried thereby with respect to the upper wing I2 isobtained automatically with the tilting of the wing.

The rear portion of the upper wing I2 is --of a slotted airfoilconstruction comprising a plurality of air foil segments |2d which areadapted to be drawn downwardly and forwardly bymeans of cables 29; Thecables 29 are located rearwardly of the struts l3 and extend forwardlyand within said struts so as to wrap around cable drums 38, as shownbest in Figs. 3 and 4. The cable drums 38 are mounted on a commonoperating shaft 3| extending longitudinally through the'lower wing IIand through the fuselage Within and below each strut the operating shaft3| is sup- Also mounted upon the operating shaft 3| adjacent each frameelement 32 is a pinion gear 33 which engages a segmentalgear 34supported from the corresponding frame element 32. The segmental gear 34forms a crank member which is joined to one end of a link 35 the otherend of which is connected by a bracket 36 to the forward or leading edgeof the upper wing l2, as shown best in Figs. 1, 5 and 6. With thisarrangement, rotation of the shaft 3| in a counterclockwise direction,as

viewed in Fig; 4, produces an upward thrust on the leading "edge of theupper wing l2 and pulls downwardly .uponthe airfoil segments or trailinportion of the wing I2.

The lower wing II- is provided at its forward portion with a relativelylarge landing gear shaft 31 which extends out either portion of thelower wing to points approximately midway between the two struts l3 ateach side of the fuselage. At these portions the lower wing is joined todiagonal braces 38 which extend upwardly to thefuselage. Each' extremityof the landing gear shaft 31 is provided with a landing member 38 whichis in the form of a fiat relatively broad strip approximately equal inlength to the width of the wing I i and is preferably formed of springmaterial. Near 'its forward portion each landing member 39 is providedwitha main landing wheel 48 the axis ofwhich is slightly above. theunder surface of the landing member, the main landing wheel beingdisposed so as to,extend through aslot 39aformed in said landing member.The rear or extended end of each landing memberis bifurcatedand receivesan auxiliary landing wheel 4|.

The landing gear shaft 31, extends through the fuselage I. Within thefuselage said shaft is pro-- vided with a gear segment 42. The gearsegment 42 is provided. at one side adjacent its periphery with anarcuate cable pulley portion 42a. The gear segment and cable pulley aredisposed so as to rotate in an are from one side to the other but abovethe landing ear'shaft 31. A' cable 43 is attached by one end o theforward extremityof the 'arcuate cable pulley 42b and extends rearwardlytherefrom to a cable drum 44 mounted I upon the operating shaft 3| ofthelwing tilting tiohal shock cord used in the conventional landinggear. The yieldable cord 45 extends upwardly and forwardly from the drumto a suitable '5 anchor 46 supported from the frame work of the fuselageI.

The cable drum 44 is normally rotatably mounted upon the shaft 3| butmay be joined thereto by a sliding double-ended dog clutch 41.10 mountedupon the shaft 3|. The dog clutch 41 is operated by a lever 48 which,extends forwardly from the shaft 3| and is pivotally mounted in ahorizontal plane by a bracket bearing 49a extending from a frame means48 supported between the spars Na and llb. The forward end of the lever48 is adapted to engage a cam 42!) formed at the side of the segmentalgear 42 at the rearwardly directed extremity thereof, as shown best inFigs. 11, 13 and 14. A spring 58 is connected 20 to the lever 48 in sucha manner as to normally v hold the clutch 41 clear of the drum 44, thecam- 42b acting against the spring 50 to shift the clutch intoengagement with the cable drum.

The wing tilting operating shaft 3| extends through agear reduction unit5| which is adapted to be operatively connected therewith through theclutch-41, said clutch being engageable with the gear reduction unit orwith the cable drum 44. The clutch 41 is normally in engagement with thegear reduction unit so that at all times, except when the landing gearis hanging downwardly or to landing, the tilting of the wing is contrled through the gear reduction unit 5|. A sh 52 extends upwardly fromthe gear reduc- 35 tion unit into a control means 53 comprising a drivenbevel gear 53a mounted on the shaft 52 and av pair of driving bevelpinion gears 53b mounted on a horizontally extending -counterto/avertically disposed 511815551 which extends 50 into one of the gearmeans I1 and joins directly to the shaft It.

The control means 53 and gear reduction units 5| and 56 allmay besupported from the frame means 49. The frame means 48 extnds between 55the spars I la and lib and supports the forementioned elements adjacentand over the rear spar llb. The forward portion of the frame means 49*supports a control mechanism 58 which is similar-to-the control means53.. Thus the control 60 mechanism 58 comprises a pair of pinion bevel Ygears 58a mounted on the countershaft 54 and adapted to be connectedthereto by a doubleended clutch member 58b whichis operated by a controlrod 58extending to the drivers compartment of the aircraft. The bevelpinion gears 58a engage a driven gear 580 which is mounted upon a drivenshaft 68. The driven'shaft 68 extends over the segmental gear 42 and isprovided with a pinion gear 8| 'which engages said segmental 70 gear; Inorderto prevent breakage should the movement of the segmental gear 42 orthe tilting of the wing I2 be impeded, the control mechanis'm 58 andcontrol means 53 are provided with suitable friction means 58d and 5311,respectively,

which connect the gears 58c and 58a with their respective shafts. a Inorder to prevent tilting of the wings beyond .a predetermined anglewhile in flight, an autorear lower spar I Ib and\ engages the lower arm63a of a lever 63, as shown best in Figs. 11, 12 and 15. The upper arm,designated 63b, of theilever is joined to the rear e ft'remity of thecontrol rod 55, hence when the wing has been tilted a predetermineddistance the lever 63 shifts the clutch 53c to its neutral position. 1

With reference again to the landing mechanism or landing gear, theyieldable cord serves to rotate the drum 44 as the cable is fed to it.'During the initial movement of the landing members 39, resistance isoffered by the tilting wing and its operating mechanism. The remainingmovement is accomplished by the landing members inasmuch as thesemembers are yieldable. With reference particularly to Figs. 13 and 15,it will-be noted that one end of the cable drum 44 is provided with acatch member 84 in the form of'a disk having a notch 84a in itsperiphery. The catch'member 64 is adapted to coact with a catch arm 65which is supported from the spar IIb by means of a sturdy leaf spring68. The catch member 84 and catch lever 65 are adapted to engage eachother when the catch member and drum are rotated in a counterclockwisedirection,

as viewed in Figs. 13 and 17. Inasmuch as the cable drum 44 is adaptedto turn more than a -full revolution and it is desired to have the catchmember and catch lever coact after a full turn has been completed, thereis provided a roller 81 which rides upon thecatch member and issupported from the catch lever 65 by an arm 68 in such a mannerthat/when the cable drum 44 turns counterclockwise the catch lever 'isheld clear of the catch member by the roller 61 until tripped by thenotch 64a. In order to shift the catch lever clear of the catch member64-, as

whenshifting the landing gear into its retracted position, the catchlever is provided with an upwardly directed arm 65a which incorporates alink member and forms an, armature at its extended end adapted to coactwith a solenoid coil 69 controlled from the driver's compartment.

With reference now to Figs. 1, 2, 3 and4 in particular, opposite theoutermost strut I3 on either side of the fuselage I and supported fromthe forward spar Ila of the lower wing II is a forwardly and slightlyupwardly directed arm 18 which is hollow. The extended portion of the{arm 18 supports a transversely extending horizontally disposed shaft Hwhich supports on' either side, of the hollow arm a feeler vane 12. Thepair of.-fe'elers associated with each arm 18' have airfoil sections andextend backwardly from' the shaft 1I. Within the arm 18 each shaft 11 isprovided with a segmental pulley 13 to which is .attachedone end of acable 14. The cable "from each arm 18 extends rearwardly to the forwardspar Ila and around a pulley 15 supported from said spar. I

Each cable 14 extends inwardly towards and into'the fuselage I. Thesecables are joined to contabarr'ns 18 and 11,'one contact armfor eachcable, the contact arm 15 being connected with ing I88a formed in apulley wheel I88.

the lefthand cable, as viewed from the front of the aircraft. Thecontact arms 18 and 11 are supported from suitable bracket bearings 18secured to the forward spar I la, as shown in Figs. 8

and 16. The contact levers 16 and 11 depend 5 from their supports andcoact with pairs of rheostats. The rheostats associated with the contactlever 18 are designated 19 and 88, while the rheostats associated withthe lever 11 are designated BI and 82. The rheostats 19 and 88 aredisposed in a common are and are supported by arms 83 pivoted on thesame axis with the contact lever 16. Similarly the rheostats 8| and 82are supported by arms 84 from the axis of the contact lever 11. In orderto connect the movements of the contact arms 18 and 11 a spring 85 isprovided which extends therebetween. The

arms 83 and 84 which support the rheostats are joined together by a linkmember 86. One of th'e arms is connected through a link member 81 withgo disposed relation and are shown best in Figs. 8, 11 30- and 14. Thecentral portions of the armatures 93 and 94 are provided with pins 93aand 94a, respectively, which engage the forked upper extremities 95a and98a of gear levers 95 and 96, respectively. The gear levers 95 and-96are se- 35 cured to shafts 91 and 98 which abut each' other at'theirinner ends and extend outwardly in axial alinement into the lower wingII and are supported from the forward spar IIa by suitable bearings.Below the shafts 91 and 98 the gear 40 levers 95 and 98 are providedwith segmental gear portions 95b and 98b which engage a commondifferential gear 99.

The differential gear 99 is journalled in a bea The pulley 45 wheel I88is journalled on the abutting ends of the shafts 91 and' 98. Thedifferential gear 99 is the cable 8 which controls the elevators 6.

The solenoids 89 and 98 are connected respectiv'ely with the rheostats1a and an, while the 55 solenoids 9| and 92 are connected with therheostats 8| and'82, respectively, as shown best in the diagrammaticalview. Fig. 19. L The solenoids and contact arms 18 and 11 are'alsoconnected to a suitable source of electrical energy, desig- 60 nated'ml.

The air rudder 2 and the water rudder 3 which is carried thereby arecontrolled by hand wheels I82 which are inounted inthe driverscompartment upon shaftsel83 and which carry pulley wheels I84. CablesI85 connect the pulley wheels I84 with the rudders, thus providing adual control therefor. The pulleys I84 have relatively deep grooves I84awhich provide side walls extending beyond the cables I85. These sidewalls 70 are adapted to engage arm portions I89a of levers L88 theopposite ends of which are provided stats I01 and I09 control thesolenoids 90'and 92 so as to operate both the ailerons, to be describedhereinafter, and the elevator and nose the airplane up.- The rheostatsI08 and H0 are similarly connected to the solenoids 89 and 9| andoperate both ailerons and the elevator to nose the airplane down. Theshafts to be shifted inwardly and outwardly so as to 'move the leversI06 and thereby influence the solenoid coils I89 and III). The shaftsI03 are normally held in their central position by means of springs IIIand H2.

With reference particularly to Figs. 1, 4, 5, 6 and 7, it will be notedthat the shafts 91 and 98 are provided opposite each strut I3 with alever arm H3. The extended end of each arm H3 is connected to a link barI I4 which extends upwardly within the corresponding strut I3 to a pointadjacent the propeller shaft housing 2| and joins a bell crank H5supported from said housing 2|. The bell crank H5 is connected through alink H6 to a second bell crank H1 mounted at the forward portion of thehousing 2I immediately rearwardly of the guide vanes 22. The bell crankH1 is connected to an upwardly directed connecting bar I I8 which curvesto clear the housing 2| and extends upwardly therefrom in alinement withone of the deflecting vanes 22. The upper end of the connecting bar H8extends into a suitable housing 22b formed at the rear side of one ofthe vanes 22 and is adapted to join an aileron H9 pivotally supportedbetween said housings 22b, said housings forming supporting bracketstherefor. The ailerons are so connected with the feeler vanes 12 thatthey are operated to counteract the condition disclosed by said feelervanes.

Operation of my aircraft is as follows: The propellers 2 IA anddeflector or guide vanes 22 maintain an air stream which acts upon theupper or main wing I2 independently of the forward movement of theaircraft in the air or on the ground, thus greatly facilitating landingor taking off. Similarly the auxiliary propeller 9 and guide ordeflecting vanes Ill maintain a smooth air flow r over the stabilizerFand elevators 6 as well as the rudders 2. In normal flight the upperwing I2 occupies the dotted line position, shown in Fig. 1,

designated X, which is also the position shown at the righthand portionof Fig. 2. When thewing is in this position the propellers 2 IA anddeflector vanes 22 occupy the dotted line position, designat ed XI, inFig. 1 which is the position shown at the righthand of Fig. 2 and'theposition shown in Fig. 6. While the propellers and deflector vanesoccupy this position the wing I2 is free to tilt to the dotted lineposition designated Y in Fig. 1,, this movement being accomplished bythe control rod 55 which shifts the clutch 53c into engagement with oneor the other of the pinion gears 5312.

I03 are adapted- When the aircraft is in flight the landing members 39occupy the dotted line position designated X2 in Figs. land 2. However,the landing members are free to swing to the position designated, X3without -shifting the wing I2 by reason ofthe fact that during suchmovement the clutch- 41 is not engaged with the drum M. ,This movementof the landing members is accomplished by operation of the control rod59 associated with the control mechanism 58. ,When it is desired to landthe aircraft, or as a precaution when flying blind and a forced landingmay be necessary, the pilot first tilts the wing I2 to the position Ywhich permits slower speed by increasing the lift, then the landingmembers are dropped tothe position I8 with its shaft designated X3 inFigs. 1 and 2, whereupon the auxiliary landing wheels 4| first engagethe and X3. This movement of the landing members 5 causes the wing I2 tobe tilted from position Y to the position shown in-full lines in Fig. 1,so as to brake the forward movement of the aircraft. It will be notedthat the arrangement of the connection: between the clutch 41 and thedrum 44 p'revents disengagement as long as tension is applied to theclutch through the drum 44. At other times when the wing tiltingmechanism is operated through the .control means 53, the tiltingmovement of the wing is conflnedbetween the two positions designated Xand Y in Fig. 1.

The feeler vanes 12 on either side of the fuselage operate either inopposed direction or in unison. When both sets of feeler vanes tilt up:wardly, that is, when their rearward extended 20 ends tilt upwardly, thetwo cables 14 are pulled in, opposite direction against the action ofthe spring causing the contact arms 16 and 11 to influence the rheostats19 and 82 thereby causing the solenoids 89 and 92 to operate in unisonand thereby influence the ailerons and elevators in a directionnecessary to counteract the condition influencing the feeler vanes.Similarly, downward movement of the feeler vanes in unison cause thecontact arms 16 and 11 to move towards each other and thereby influencethe solenoids and 9I through the rheostats 80 and 8I. Conditions whichcause opposed movement of the two sets of feeler vanes cause the contactarms 16 and 11 to rotate in the same direction, thus influencing thesolenoids so as to shift their armatures in opposite directions andthereby turn the shafts 91 and 98 so as to shift the ailerons intopositionsv proper for counteracting the influence upon the feeler vanes.This action of the feeler 40 vanes is enhanced whenever the aircraft istilted to one side or the other by means of the pendulum 88. Thependulums main function however, is to control the ailerons when therudder 2 is turned, the pendulum being thrown to the side 4 necessary toset the ailerons in position for proper banking of the aircraft.

overriding clutches Hit connect each engine IB. This arrangementprevents a drag on the driving shafts should one 50 engine cease tooperate. Also, the overriding clutches permitcontrol of the tilting wingI 2 even though both or all of the engines should fail, inasmuch as theairflow tends to maintain rotation of the propellers, and the shaft 51is con- 55 nected directly to one of the shafts I6.

When landing on water, the landing members on striking the water operatethe tilting wing I2 in the same manner as when landingon ground.

Though I have shown and described a partic- "ular construction,combination and arrangement wing extending therefrom, propellers carriedby said wing and disposed forwardly thereof, whereby the slipstreamtherefrom passes over and 75" and desire to secure by LettersPatmechanism, a landing mechanism arranged to.

yield upon landing, and means connecting said landing mechanism withsaid operating mechanism whereby movement of said landing mecha-' nismwhen landing causes said wing to tilt. J

3. An aircraft including, a fuselage, a tiltable wing extendingtherefrom, propellers carried by, said wing and disposed forwardlythereof, whereby the slipstream therefrom passes over and around saidwing, guide vanes disposed between said propellers and said wing forcounteracting the twisting action of the slipstreams of said propellers,an operating mechanism for said tiltable wing, a control means for saidoperating mechanism, a landing mechanism arranged to yield upon landing,means connecting said landing mechanism with said operating mechanismwhereby movement of said landing mechanism when landing causes said wingto tilt, and a shiftable connecting means joining said wing and saidpropellers arranged to permit a predeter-- mined tilting movement ofsaid wing relative to said propellers whereupon said propellers shiftwith said wing. I i

4. An aircraft including, a tiltable wing, propellers supportedtherefrom and arranged to direct their airstrearns over and around saidwing, a connecting means arranged topermit limited tilting movement ofsaid wing with respect to said propellers, said propellers thereuponbeing shiftable with said wing; a shiftable landing mechanism arrangedto yield when landing, and operating means connecting said landingmechanism with said wing whereby movement of said landingmechanism whenlanding tilts said wing and propellers. I

5. An aircraft including, a tiltablewing, propellers supported therefromand arranged to direct their airstreams over and around said wing,

a connecting means arranged to permit limited tilting movement of saidwing with respect to said propellers, said propellers thereupon being nshiftable with 'said wing, an operating mechanism for tilting said wing,a control means therefor including an element confining the tilting ofsaid wing substantially to the limits of said connecting" means, alanding mechanism arranged to shift upon landing, a connecting meansjoining.

said landing mechanism with said tiltable wing whereby movement of saidlanding mechanism upon landing tends to tilt said wing, and a clutch '65means arranged tojoin either said control means or said connecting meanswith said wing.

6. An aircraft including, a tiltable wing, an

operating mechanism for tilting said wing, a control means therefor, alanding mechanism ar- 70 ranged to shift from an extended towards aretracted position .when landing," a connecting means for linking saidlanding mechanism with said operating mechanism, and a clutch arrangedto join said connecting means or said control 75 means with saidoperating mechanism.

I '7. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a lower fixed wing, an upper tiltablewing, struts connecting said wings, an operating mechanism for saidtiltable wing extending from said fuselage through said fixed-wing andfrom said struts to said 5 tiltable wing, propeller shafts and housingtherefor supported from said tiltable wing disposed forwardly thereof,guide vanes supported from said housings between said propellers andsaid tiltable wing, a control means for said operatl0 ing mechanism, alanding mechanism arranged to shift from an extended towards a retractedposition when landing, a connecting means for linking said landingmechanism with said operating mechanism, and a clutch arranged to join15 said connecting means or said control means with said operatingmechanism.

I 8. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a lower fixed wing, anupper tiltablewing shiftable from a position suitable for normal flight through apositiorf of 20 maximum lift to a brakingposition, struts connectingsaid wings, an operating mechanism for said tiltablewing extending fromsaid fuselage through said fixed wing and from said struts to saidtiltable wing, propeller shafts. and housings 25 therefor supported fromsaid tiltable wing disposed forwardly -thereof, guide vanes supportedfrom said housing between saidpropellers and said tiltable wing, a firstcontrol means operable while in flight arranged to actuatelsaid oper- 30.at' mechanism so as to shift said wing from its normal approximately toits position of ma mum lift, and a second control means operab whenlanding arranged to actuate said operating mechanism so as to shift saidwing to its 35 braking position. I

9. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a lower fixed wing, an upper tiltablewing shiftable ,from a position suitable for normal flight through aposition of maximum lift to a braking position, struts con- 40 nectingsaid wings, an operating mechanism for said tiltable wing extending fromsaid fuselage through said' fixed wing and from said struts to saidtiltable wing, propeller shafts and housings therefor supported fromsaid tiltable wing dis- 45 posed forwardly thereof, guide vanessupported from said housings between said propellers and saidtiltable-wing, a first control means operable while in flight arrangedto actuate said operating mechanism so as to shift said wingfrom 50 itsnormal approximately to its position of maximum lift, a landingmechanism arranged to shift froman extended towards a retracted positionwhen landing, and a second control operable by said landing mechanismarranged to actuate said operating mechanism so as to shift said wing toits braking position. 10. An aircraft including, .a tiltable wing, aplurality of propellers carried thereby and extending forwardly thereof,sets of guide vanes so disposed between said propellers and wingarranged to counteract the torque of the slipstreams from saidpropellers and cause a relatively smooth air flow over and around saidwing, and ailerons. carried by said sets of guide vanes.

11. an aircraft including, a'tiltable wing, a plurality of propellerscarried thereby and extending forwardlythereof, sets of. guide vanesdisposed between said propellers and wing arranged to'. counteractthetorque of the slipstreams from said propellers andcause a relativelysmooth air flow over and'around said wing, ailerons carried by said setsof guide vanes,

feeler vanes mounted in advance of said wing,

and a control means for said ailerons responsive to movement of saidfeeler vanes.

12. In an aircraft, a fuselage, control surfaces therefor includingelevators, and ailerons, feeler vanes disposed forwardly of said controlsurfaces, on either side of sai fuselage, rheostat means operable bysaid responsive to said rheostat means, a control element connected withsaid elevators, a control means connected with said ailerons, andmechanism operable by said solenoids and common to said control elementand control means for causing movement of said ailerons and elevators inresponse to movement of said feeler vanes.

,13. In an aircrafti, -afuselage, a fixed lower wing, an uppertiltablewing, a plurality of hinged airfoil sections composing the rearportion of said tiltable wing, said hinged sections arranged tonest'together so as to form a normal wing outline and also arranged tobe pulled down when-said, wing is being tilted so as to form a slotbetween each section and the one next in front'of it, struts connectingsaid wings,

an operating mechanism for said tiltable wing extending from saidfuselage through said fixed wing and said struts to said tiltable wing,said operating mechanism arranged to push up the ,front of said tiltablewing and at the same time pull down said hinged sections.

14. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a lower fixed wing, an upper tiltablewing shiftable from a position suitable for normal flight through aposition of maximum lift to a braking position, struts connecting saidwings, an operating mechanism for said tiltable wing extending from saidfuselage through said fixed wing and from said struts to said tiltablewing, a first control means operable while in flight arranged to actuatesaid operating mechanism so as to shift said wing from its normalapproximately to itsvposition of maximum lift, and a secondcontrol'means operable when landing arranged to actuate said operatingmechanism so as to shift said wing to its braking position.

15. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a,lower fixed.

wing, an upper tiltable wing shiftable from a position suitable fornormal flight through a po-- sition of maximum lift to a brakingposition,

struts connecting said wings, an operating mechanism for said tiltablewing extending from said feeler vanes, solenoids maximum lift, a landingmechanism arranged to shift from an extended towards a retractedposition when landing, and a second control operable by said landingmechanism arranged to actuate said operating mechanism so as to shift 5said wing' to its braking position.

16. In an aircraft, a fuselage, a lower fixed wing, an upper tiltablewing shiftable from a position suitable for normal flight through aposition of maximum lift to a braking position, struts connecting saidwings, an operating mechanism for said tiltable wing extending from saidfuselage through said fixed wing and from said struts to said tiltablewingfa control means for said operating mechanism, a landing mechanismar- 15' ranged to yield upon landing, and means connecting said landingmechanismswith said op* erating mechanism whereby movement of saidlanding mechanism when landing causes said wing to tilt. 20 17. In anaircraft, a fuselage, a fixed lower wing, an upper tiltable wing, aplurality of hinged airfoil sections composing the, rear portion of saidtiltable wing, said hinged sections arranged to nest together so as toform a normal wing outline and also arranged to be pulled down when-saidwing is being tilted so as to form a slot between each section and theone next in front of it, struts connecting said wings, an operatingmechanism for said tiltable wing extending from said fuselage throughsaid fixed wing and said struts to said tiltable wing, said operatingmechanism arranged to push up the front'of said tiltable wing and-at thesame time pull down said hinged sections, and a shiftable 35 landingmechanism arranged to yield when landing, an operating means connectingsaid landing mechanism with said tiltable wing whereby movement of saidlanding mechanism when landing tilts said wing and opens said hinged 40airfoil sections to their maximum angle positions. 18. In an aircraft, afuselage, a tiltable wing" mounted thereon consisting of a plurality ofhinged airfoil sections forming the rear portion 45 of said wing, saidhinged sections arranged to nest together so as .to form a normal wingand also arranged to be pulled down to increase the camber of said wing,and operating mechanism in connection with said wing and said hingedsections, said operating mechanism arranged to 1 tilt said wing and atthe same time operate said hinged sections so as to change the camber ofsaid wing.

" JOHN S. MAXWELL.

